On December 20, 1988, the first
session of the Thirty-Fourth Legislature of Manitoba adjourned after sitting
for a total of one hundred and two days.

The early conclusion of this
session occurred unexpectedly when Premier Gary Filmon withdrew his
government's resolution on the Meech Lake Accord on December 19. The resolution
was introduced on Friday, December 16 and was to have been debated for the
following five days.

Mr. Filmon explained the withdrawal
of the resolution. "I believe the decision made yesterday by the
Government of Quebec to restrict minority language rights in that province
violates the spirit of the Meech Lake Accord. In these circumstances, I have
concluded that the debate on the resolution before us and the public hearings
would not serve a useful purpose and may invite a very negative anti-Quebec
backlash."

Finance Minister Clayton Manness
introduced his first budget on August 8, 1988. The minority Conservative
government maintained spending in such key areas as health and social programs.

The Conservatives upheld an
election promise to upgrade and to private schools, increasing their budget 3.3
million dollars.

Highlights of the budget included:
no increase in personal income tax; payroll tax exemption increase; a new Small
Business Tax Reduction plan; limited tax increases (mining tax increased to 20
per cent, an additional tobacco tax of 24 cents per 25-pack, and surcharge on
leaded gas raised by 9 cents per litre); the provision of $1.5 billion for
Health programs; $792 million for Education; $195 million for Social Services;
$124 million for Child and Family Services; $36 million for child care; $115
million for Agriculture; $18.3 million for drought assistance; and $95 million
for Highways.

Although total government spending
for the fiscal year of 1988-89 is $4.6 billion, the budget projected a dramatic
cut in the provincial deficit, slashing it to $196 million instead of the $334
million proposed in the ill-fated budget that led to the former NDP
Government'sdefeat in the Legislature.

Presenting the new government's
first budget, Mr. Manness said the document outlines the important first steps
towards the overall goal of "a competitive and diversified economy which
will provide increased investment and job opportunities for our citizens and
pay for quality health, education and social programs."

On August 22, 1988, the
Conservative minority government survived a vote on the budget motion by a
narrow margin of 24-21.

Opposition Leader Sharon
Carstairs, and eighteen of the nineteen member Liberal caucus, voted
against the budget.

NDP Leader Gary Doer and the
party's finance critic, Maureen Hemphill, voted with the Liberals against
the budget, while the rest of the twelve member NDP caucus abstained. The New
Democratic Party refused to support the Liberal party in a bid to defeat the
government. Mr. Doer said people in Manitoba "do not want another election
four months after the last one, without a good reason."

Much of the members' time this
session was taken up in Committee of Supply considering Estimates for the
fiscal year. The allotted time limit of 240 hours was barely sufficient to
cover all departments.

The session was marked by a roster
of bills and resolutions that proved to be generally non-contentious.
Fifty-five bills were introduced in the Assembly. Of these thirty-six received
Royal Assent.

Amendments to the Manitoba Labour
Act intended to repeal the controversial final offer selection provisions of
that act were not proceeded with. An agreement between House Leaders was
reached to defer consideration of the bill until after the adjournment.

As promised in the Throne Speech a
Commission of Inquiry into the Administration of Justice and Aboriginal People
was established.

The Native Justice Inquiry began
public hearings in September and has currently requested additional research
funds to continue its activities.

In early September the minority
government saw its ranks further depleted when the Conservative member for
Springfied, Mr. Gilles Roch, crossed the floor to join the Liberals.

Current standings in the
Legislature are 24 Conservatives, 21 Liberals, and 12 New Democrats.

Suzanne L. Dion, Editor of Hansard, Manitoba Legislative
Assembly

New Brunswick

The First Session of the
Fifty-first Legislative Assembly which had been adjourned for only the third
time in the last seventeen years, resumed on 22 November 1988. After a busy
fall schedule of committee hearings, the Legislature resumed and sat only long
enough to adjourn again to November 29.

The spring session which sat for
thirty days, considered some sixty pieces of legislation, five major discussion
papers and included a budget which Premier Frank McKenna stated was
consistent with the commitments made in the Agenda for Change to provide a new
direction for fiscal integrity in the province.

Committee Activity

During the adjournment, standing
and select committees played an important role in the work of the New Brunswick
Legislature.

The Standing Committee on Law
Amendments, chaired by James Lockyer, Minister of Justice, held hearings
on eight bills introduced during the spring session. Among these was Bill 60,
An Act to Amend the Days of Rest Act, which proposed to eliminate the
"local option" for Sunday shopping and make Sunday shopping laws a
provincial responsibility again. Also referred to the Committee was Bill 64, An
Act to Amend the Employment Standards Act, giving wider rights to part-time workers
and Bill 65, An Act to Amend the Industrial Relations Act dealing with the
issue of strikes in municipal services. The amendments to Bill 64 extend the
provisions of the Employment Standards Act to ensure equal treatment for
part-time workers; extend the provisions of the Act concerning major layoffs of
nonunionized workers in an effort to reduce the effects of technological
change; provide for the protection of workers' wages; provide for unpaid leave
when death occurs in the worker's family; povide for unpaid leaves for mothers
and fathers at the birth or adoption of children; and protect seniority. Bill
65, An Act to Amend the Industrial Relations Act, designates a certain
proportion of employees essential and, therefore, not able to strike.

Amendments to the Fish and Wildlife
Act were also referred to the Law Amendments Committee for public input. Bill
42, An Act to Amend the Fish and Wildlife Act, was the focus of much attention
and initiated a public discussion on a controversial bill, formerly introduced
in 1986 as Bill 86. Although Bill 42 provided authority for developing a
regulation to allow landowners to protect their property and to alleviate their
concerns for public safety by posting certain kinds of lands regardless of
size, it gave additional access to unposted lands entitling sportsmen to hunt
or trap on foot on unposted lands.

The Standing Committee on Law
Amendments reported the Bills back to the House when the session resumed in
November.

The Special Committee on Economic
Policy Development, chaired by A. W. Lacey, Minister of Commerce and
Technology, held public hearings on the proposed Stock Savings Plan outlined in
the government's Green Paper tabled during the spring session. The stock option
plan offers New Brunswickers an opportunity to invest in their companies by
providing a tax credit against a provincial tax. The government also referred
to the Special Committee its Green Paper entitled "Adequate Highways -- A
Key to Regional Economic Development" urging attention to improve the
province's already overburdened transportation system. The discussion paper
addressed the upgrading requirements of the province's arterial highways,
including the Trans Canada Highway, stressed the considerable importance of
highways to New Brunswick's present and future economic development, and called
on the federal government for a significant financial contribution.

Among the Bills referred to the
Special Committee for public consultation was Bill 63, Aquculture Act, an
all-encompassing piece of legislation designed to regulate the province's
burgeoning aquaculture industry. The Act sets down the legal authority of the
Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture to promote, regulate and manage all
aspects of the industry from the backyard to the marine culture of salmon,
other fin fish and shellfish from fresh-water hatcheries, to nutrition and
harvesting of aquaculture products. The Act sets the framework for encouraging
an industry where sound management practices ensure minimal losses and minimal
interference with traditional fisheries and other affected interest groups.

In referring the Bill to the
Special Committee, former Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Doug Young,
invited the public to become involved in the formation of the Aquaculture Act
by participating in the public consultation process and identifying changes
required thereby contributing to the final draft of the legislation.

Public hearings of the Special
Committee on Economic Policy Development were held throughout the province in
September and October and were concluded in November with the Committee tabling
its report in the Legislature on December 7, 1988.

The Special Committee on Social
Policy Development, chaired by J. Raymond Frenette, Minister of Health
and Community Services, held public hearings during the fall on four major
discussion papers tabled during the spring session. As part of its commitment
to introduce and integrated ambulance policy for New Brunswick, the government
launched a major review of the ambulance system and initiated public
discussions to determine a plan for the future. On May 5, 1988, Mr. Frenette
tabled two documents: (1) a Green Paper prepared by the Department of Health
and Community Services entitled "Discussion Paper on Ambulance Services;
and (2) "Applied Management Consultants' Report: A Review of Ambulance
Services in New Brunswick" prepared for the Minister of Health and
Community Services, which were forwarded to the Legislatue's Special Committee
on Social Policy Development. As well, a discussion paper on clean water
legislation and another dealing with beverage container legislation were
referred to the Special Committee for public input. Hearings of the Committee
were held in September and October, and a final report is expected to be tabled
during the 1989 session.

As promised in the Throne Speech,
the Select Committee on the 1987 Constitutional Accord was established and was
charged "with the responsibility of receiving public input on the 1987
Constitutional Accord both from individuals and groups resident in the province
of New Brunswick, and where deemed appropriate by the committee, from persons
outside of New Brunswick with expert knowledge".

The Select Committee sat following
the adjournment of the House and heard testimony from various constitutional
experts on the proposed changes outlined in the 1987 Constitutional Accord.

As a result of advertisements
giving notice of public hearings on the Constitution Amendment, 1987, 111
submissions were received by the Committee from various organizations and
special interest groups -- more than any other legislative committee --
indicating great public interest in the issue.

Twenty-five new pieces of
legislation were introduced during the eight-day fall sitting. As a result of
public hearings, Bill 42, An Act to Amend the Fish and Wildlife Act, was
formally withdrawn. Its replacement, Bill 89, received Royal Assent 8 December
1988. Introduced to replace Bill 42 after public hearings and cooperation from
the province's woodlot owners, wildlife federation and agricultural sector,
Bill 89 accommodates the needs and recommendations of both landowners and
hunters and contains provisions for a coding system which incorporates no
hunting or trapping, hunting or trapping with permission, and nonposting of lands.
The colour coding system designates landowners who wish to allow hunting and
trapping on their land, those who allow hunting or trapping but want hunters an
trappers to seek permission first; and yet reserves the right of those people
who choose not to post their land to ask any trespasser to leave their property
if they so choose. A clause included in the bill forbids the establishment of
private hunting preserves, that is people charging a fee for hunting on their
land.

Although Bill 65, An Act to Amend
the Industrial Relations Act, was an attempt to provide for the protection of
public safety, the workers' right to strike and the maintenance of free
collective bargaining and a framework whereby municipalities and their unions
could overcome the climate of confrontation of recent years, it was formerly
withdrawn after public consultation, further examination and public commentary
in the Law Amendments Committee.

Its replacement, Bill 73, provides
for the removal of the right to strike by police officers, and replaced it with
binding arbitration, thus ensuring the continuous protection of the public
without negating the collective bargaining process.

As a result of public hearings
undertaken by the Special Committee on Economic Policy Development in relation
to Bill 63, Aquaculture Act, and to address the concerns of the fishing
industry and the public, 34 of the 43 sections of the Bill were amended in
Committee of the Whole.

Two other bills of note established
the Arterial Highway Trust Fund and legislated the New Brunswick Highway Patrol
out of existence.

Bill 81, Arterial Highway Trust
Fund Act which received Royal Assent 8 December 1988, establishes a trust fund
dedicated to upgrading the arterial highway system of the province. The trust
fund was proposed in the governments discussion paper entitled "Adequate
Highways -- A Key to Regional Economic Development" as a mechanism for
financing part of the province's share of the required upgrading. Revenues for
the fund will be obtained from a tax increase on gasoline and diesel fuel. In
introducing the Bill, Sheldon Lee, Minister of Transportation, stressed
that the province woul not accomplish all the required upgrading alone and that
the successful implementation of the total program proposed in the discussion
paper would require a significant contribution by the federal government to
those arterial highways of regional, national and international importance.

Bill 82, An Act to Repeal the New Brunswick
Highway Patrol Act, received Royal Assent on 8 December 1988. The Act abolished
the New Brunswick Patrol established in 1980 by the former Hatfield government.
The decision to disband the New Brunswick Highway Patrol and transfer highway
law enforcement functions to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was made after a
government commissioned a study by Alan Grant, Professor of Law, Osgoode
Law School, found that the provincial force was neither service or cost
effective.

Solicitor General Conrad Landry
noted the positive benefits of the government's decision to return highway law
enforcement to the RCMP: unity of provincial police services will be achieved
under one common structure; there will be no overlap of personnel, buildings,
communication systems and vehicles; there will be an overall increase in police
coverage, given the number of RCMP detachments which will be involved; there
will be a substantial saving in provincial policing costs to the end of the
present RCMP contract in 1991.

"Of most importance will be
increased operational efficiency resulting from a unified police effort",
stated the Solicitor General. Continuing, he stated that "in the long run,
the Province of New Brunswick could not afford the luxury of two police forces
with specialized functions operating side by side".

The Solicitor General emphasized
once again in the House that the government's decision to disband the patrol
did not in any way reflect on the professional competence and dedication of the
men and women of the New Brunswick Highway Patrol. Mr. Landry concurred with
Professor Grant " that the members and employees of the New Brunswick
Highway Patrol share no blame for he organizational failure of separating the
traffic and general police functions into separate police forces in the same
territory". In the words of Professor Grant, "they were given a
`Mission Impossible'".

On Thursday, 1 December 1988, Allan
Maher, Minister of Finance, presented his government's $298 million capital
budget for 1989-90 fulfilling an election commitment to present the province's
capital budget well in advance of the beginning of the fiscal year as well as a
further commitment outlined in the Agenda for Change; namely, to keep borrowing
for capital spending within a limit of about $300 million in each of the next
three years.

Mr. Maher remarked that "An
early capital budget is better for the government, school boards, hospital
boards, the construction industry and all New Brunswick citizens". He
added that by having its construction program established well in advance of
the beginning of the construction season, the government has more time to plan
the implementation of its program; this involves such matters as calling for
tenders, selecting contractors and timing actual construction in order to
achieve the lowest cost and minimize disruption to delivery of services; school
and hospital boards can better plan their activities if they know well in
advance the details of the construction program for their facilities and by
giving plenty of advance notice of the province's capital projects, the
construction industry in New Brunswick will respond by doing the best job
possible at reasonable prices.

Procedural Changes

The government made good on a
promise made in the Speech from the Throne that it would ensure that there was
every opportunity for open debate and the expression of opposing viewpoints in
the legislative process.

Most of the changes in procedures
in the all Liberal Legislature involved the operation of the Law Amendments
Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, the Committee of the Whole House
(legislation) and the Committee of Supply (departmental estimates) threby
allowing opposition statements.

Minor bills introduced during the
session were considered in Committee of the Whole House and passed relatively
quickly while more controversial bills and matters of greater public interest
were referred to committees of the legislature to allow input from the public,
special interest groups and opposition parties.

Departmental estimates and
controversial legislation were routinely referred to the Standing Committee on
Estimates and the Standing Committee on Estimates and the Standing Committee on
Law Amendments respectively, whereby representatives of the recognized parties
could appear as witnesses before the Committees and comment on the government's
policies and direction.

In an effort to improve the
functioning of the Legislature, the government assigned specific issues to each
of the 36 backbenchers. Thus, advocates were designated for consideration of
departmental estimates during the budget process and during the consideration
of legislation in the Committee of the Whole House.

The government maintains that these
changes to traditionally established procedures will ensure that the political
parties and members of the public have a chance to present their opinion on
various legislative matters before final decisions are made. Since the
prorogation of the session on 8 December 1988, the government has relaxed the
rules and has allowed direct questioning of departmental officials by
representatives of the recognized political parties in Public Accounts
Committee. No doubt other measures will be considered as further experience is
developed in this unique situation.

On Thursday, 2 March, Lieutenant
Governor Lincoln Alexander prorogued the 1st Session of the 34th
Parliament. The Session, which began on 3 November, 1987, was the second
longest Session in Ontario's history, the House having met on 156 days. The
longest Session was in 198-69 when the House met on 173 days.

During the 1st Session, 126
government bills were introduced. Of these bills, 94 passed the House and
received Royal Assent. Ninety-seven private members' public bills were
introduced. One bill, Bill 181, An Act to amend the Legislative Assembly Act,
was the eleventh private member's public bill in the last 50 years to pass all
stages in the House and receive Royal Assent. The bill was introduced by Herb
Epp, Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, at the
request of the Committee. It prohibits the service of civil process in the
legislative building, a room or place in which a committee of the Assembly is
meeting or in an office of a member (other than a constituency office) that is
designated by the Speaker. Breach of the prohibition would be dealt with as a
contempt of the Assembly. The bill also deleted reference to the archaic
concept of "molestation" in a civil cause. Seventy-five private bills
were introduced and 70 of these bills were passed and received Royal Assent.

During the Session, 47 private
members' resolutions were debated during the time for private members's public
business. Of these, 36 were carried and 11 were lost. The motions for second
reading of 18 private members' public bills were debated. Thirteen of the bills
passed second reading and 5 were lost.

Changes to the Retail Business
Holidays Act and the Employment Standards Act passed the House on February 7th.
Both bills had been before the House since 25 April, 1988.

The opposition parties had delayed
the introduction and first reading of the legislation for 5 days by presenting
petitions for the whole day. A division on the motion for first reading of Bill
113 resulted in the division bells ringing over a four-day period. The
legislation was before the Standing Committee on Administration of Justice for
47 days of public submissions and clause-by-clause consideration. When Bill 114
was reported from the Committee on 17 January, 1989, the House diided on the
motion by the Chairman of the Committee, Bob Callahan, for the adoption
of the report. The bells rang throughout the night of 17 January with the
division taking place just before 6:00 p.m. on 18 January. On 19 January, the
Government House Leader, Sean Conway, gave notice of a time allocation
motion to fix the amount of time for further proceedings on the legislation.
This was only the fifth time in the history of the province that a government
had had to resort to a time allocation motion.

The Leader of the Opposition, Bob
Rae, and the Deputy House Leader for the Progressive Conservative Party, Norm
Sterling, asked the Speaker to find the motion out of order because it
proposed to allocate time to the consideration of 2 bills. The Speaker, Hugh
Edighoffer, ruled that the motion was in order. The Speaker's ruling was
sustained on appeal to the House. The motion to allocate time was debated for 5
days and the House proceeded to the remaining proceedings on the legislation.
Bill 113 permits municipalities to pass by-laws allowing retail business
establishments to be open on holidays or requiring them to be closed on
holidays. Before passing a by-law, a municipality is required to hold a public meeting.
Bill 114 enables employees in retail business establishments that are permitted
to open on Sunday to refuse work that they consider unreasonable and provides
for mediation where an employer and employee disagree on what constitutes
unreasonable Sunday work and where an employee is punished or treated
improperly for refusing Sunday work that the employee considers unreasonable.

The Minister of the Environment, Jim
Bradley, introduced legislation to prohibit the making, use, transfer,
display, transportation, storage and disposal of specified things containing on
ozone depleting substance and of specified things made using an ozone depleting
substance. Bill 218, An Act to amend the Environmental Protection Act, defines
"ozone depleting substance" as a chlorofluorocarbon, a halonor any
other substance that has the potential to destroy ozone in the stratosphere.

The government proceeded with
legislation introduced in November to assert provincial jurisdiction in areas
of health care and natural resources. Bill 147, An Act respecting Independent
Health Facilities, was given second reading on 22 February and referred to the
Standing Committee on Social Development for consideration in the Spring. Bill
175, An Act respecting transfers of Water, was passed and given Royal Assent on
2 March. A third bill, Bill 204, An Act to amend the Power Corporation Act, was
introduced to assert provincial jurisdiction in the field of energy. Section 30
of the Bill requires the Board to ensure that the requirements for power of
Ontario customers and other customers in Canada are met before meeting the
requirements for power of customers outside Canada.

On 30 November, 1988, the Minister
of Labour, Greg Sorbara, introduced for first reading Bill 194, An Act
to restrict Smoking in Workplaces. The Bill prohibits smoking in all areas of a
workplace except in designated smoking areas, public areas, areas used for
lodging and private dwellings. Under the legislation, the total space for
designated smoking areas at an enclosed work space may not exceed 25 per cent
of the total floor area of the enclosed workplace. Consultation with joint
health and safety committees in the workplace will be required before an area
can be designated to permit smoking. The minister proposed that the legislation
take effect on 1 July, 1989.

The Chairman of the Management
Board of Cabinet, Murray Elston, also announced that as of 31 March,
1989, smoking would no longer be permitted in the Ontario public service and
schedule 1 agency workplaces. The policy will apply equally to public servants
and to those who visit government workplaces. As part of the policy, the
government will offer assistance to employees who wish to enrol in smoking
cessation programmes.

Before the bill was given second
reading an referred to the Standing Committee on Social Development for
hearings during the Recess between Sessions, the opposition critics indicated
the areas of the bill which were of concern to them.

Speaking for the New Democratic
Party, Bob Mackenzie stated that the bill was "introduced without
any real consultation with many of the interested parties ... the trade unions
that represent workers in the workplace and the Non-Smokers' Rights
Association." He argued that the bill was fundamentally flawed in that it
would do "nothing to remove toxic substances and the dangers posed by
second-hand smoke. It might reduce it, but it is not going to remove it. The
bill does avoid requiring employers to establish designated smoking areas that
are properly ventilated." Mr. Mackenzie also noted that the bill did not
make provision for smoking cessation programmes or a phase-in period to be
determined in consultation with interested persons. He also called for a
reduction in the fines for individual workers and an increase in the penalties
for employers.

Mr. Sterling referred to
legislation which he had introduced in 1985 to control smoking in the workplace
and public places and to legislation which he had brought before the House in
the current session dealing with smoking. Bill 157, An Act to authorize
Municipalities to pass By-laws respecting Smoking in the Workplace and in
Enclosed Public Places, has been given second reading and referred to the
Standing Committee on Social Development. Bill 215, An Act to amend certain
Acts concerning the Sale of Tobacco to Minors, would increase the finds for
selling tobacco to minors and require judges to take into account the amount of
profit the vendor made from the sale of tobacco in the year preceding the
conviction in setting the fine.

Mr. Sterling pointed out that under
the bill there was no need to provide separate ventilation between a smoking
area and a nonsmoking area. He said that he would be insisting during committee
stage that "if there i to be a division between a smoker and a nonsmoker,
there must be a wall or some separate ventilation to protect ... the nonsmoker
from the second-hand smoke of my fellow worker." He also argued that the
bill did not guarantee a nonsmoker a clean environment in his or her workplace
and that it may be too arbitrary in that if everyone within a working
establishment smokes and does not object to second-hand smoke, only 25 per cent
to the enclosed workplace may be designated as a smoking area.

The House passed legislation amending
the Executive Council Act and the Legislative Assembly Act to provide an
increase of 4.7 per cent in members' indemnities and allowances and ministers'
and parliamentary assistants' salaries. The Government House Leader, in
introducing the legislation, indicated that the government had considered a
number of alternatives to the current method of increasing members'
indemnities, allowances and salaries. He stated that the government was
prepared to "build into the process an annual escalator ... to eliminate
the annual introduction of the pay bill" but that it had "decided
that the mix of base salary and expense allowances ought to be maintained as
they are and that they should be adjusted this year by essentially the rate of
inflation."

The Opposition House Leader, David
S. Cooke, stated that "if we are to allow people and encourage people
and have a process that allows people from all areas of society to participate
in the Legislature and to consider running for office, for the Legislature, and
if people are going to be restricted as to what they can make outside of this
place, then obviously we have to have a pay package that is adequate, that
offers some incentive to people to run for this office." Mr. Cooke
indicated that the base pay for members was unsatisfactory and had not received
the proper adjustments in past years. His Party could not support the automatic
escalator offered by the government until there is an adequate base pay fo
members. Progressive Conservative Party House Leader, Mike Harris,
stated his Party's opposition to the legislation. Saying that "there ought
to be a better way than members of this assembly year after year after year
voting themselves whatever the increase is", Mr. Harris proposed that
members' indemnities be determined by an independent body or commission in
relation to some other salary in the workplace. He said that the legislature
"should be looking forward. We should be reflecting the role of the
Legislature. We should be looking at the changes that have evolved over the
last 10 or 15 years. We should be taking a look at how that role has changed
and how some of the remunerations like the expense allowance have in fact
outlived their usefulness."

A member's annual indemnity is now
set at $41,113, up from $39,229. A member's annual allowance for expenses
increased from $13,171 to $13,790.

Before prorogation, the House
adopted the report of the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly with
respect to the process for the restoration of the Parliament Building. A
Special Committee on the Legislative Precinct has been created to develop,
approve and supervise and co-ordinate the implementation of a programme for the
restoration, renovation, rehabilitation, cyclical maintenance and use of the
Parliament Building and grounds. The Committee is required to submit an annual
budget to the Board of Internal Economy for funds required for proposed work or
expert or professional assistance. Its membership is composed of the Speaker
and Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly as
Co-chairman and a member from each of the recognized parties in the House.

The House also agreed to a
recommendation of the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly and
authorized the Committee to undertake a comprehensive review of the Election
Act and the election process.

The House by Order carried over
into the Second Session 29 government bills awaiting second reading or referred
t committee. Eight private members' public bills which have been referred to
standing committees were also ordered to be continued in the next Session as
was one private bill. Five committee reports were also ordered to be carried
over into the 2nd Session for debate.

Eleven committees were continued
and authorized to meet in the Recess between the Sessions. The Select Committee
on Education will meet to consider the organization and length of the school
day and the school year and the financing of Ontario's education. The Standing
Committee on Administration of Justice will consider Bill 187, An Act to amend
certain Acts as they relate to Police and Sheriffs, and Bill 4, An Act to amend
the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force Complaints Act, 1984. The Standing
Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs will continue its hearings on
pre-Budget consultations. The Standing Committee on General Government will
consider Bill 170, An Act to revise several Acts related to Aggregate
Resources.

The Standing Committee on
Government Agencies will continue with its review of agencies, boards and
commissions of the Government of Ontario. In addition to its review of matters
related to election laws and the election process, the Standing Committee on
the Legislative Assembly will consider members' services issues. The Standing
Committee on the Ombudsman will meet on the Special Report of the Ombudsman on
the Denied Case of Farm Q.

The Standing Committee on Public
Accounts will continue its meetings on the 1987 and 1988 Annual Reports of the
Provincial Auditor. The Standing Committee on Resources Development will be
holding extensive meetings around the province on Bill 162, An Act to amend the
Workers' Compensation Act. Finally, the Standing Committee on Social
Development will meet on Bill 124, An Act to amend the Children's Law Reform
Act, and on Bill 194, An Act to restrict Smoking in Workplaces.

No date has been announced for the
commencement of the 2nd Session, but it is expected tobe in late April.